Hallvard prepared to go, and we are not told of his journey or night
quarters, until he came to Uni one evening. He did not tell his true
name. They inquired of each other for current news; and in the evening,
when they were sitting round the fire, the guest asked a great deal
about noble men in Sogn and Hördaland. Uni said that none of the landed
men were considered more powerful than Jón, on account of his family and
his violence; and he further asked whether they had no experience of it
in the south. When he had said this, the guest became silent. Then the
people arose from the fire, and the two remained.
Then Uni said: “Did not you say just now that your name was Hallvard?”
“No,” said the guest; “I called myself Saxi this evening.”
Uni said: “Then I am out of all difficulties; but if my name were
Brynjúlf, I should think yours was Hallvard; and now let us go to
sleep.”
The guest took hold of him and said: “Let us not go yet.” Whereupon he
delivered the purse, and said: “Kol sends you his greeting and this
silver, in order that you may be willing to advise me how to avenge my
brother Havard on Brynjúlf.” Then he told him Kol’s plans.
Uni said: “Kol deserves well of me, but I cannot know what may be done
about the revenge on Brynjúlf; but he is expected here to-morrow to
fetch his concubine’s clothes.”
Thereafter he went with Hallvard to a stable which stood opposite the
door of the house, and concealed him in the manger. This was before the
people got up, but he had slept in the house during the night. When
Hallvard had been a little while in the stable, he saw a brisk man
coming to the house. He called into the house, and told the woman to
make herself ready. She took her clothes and brought them out. Then
Hallvard thought he knew who the man was, and walked out. Brynjúlf had
put down his weapons while he was tying the clothes; and when Hallvard
met him he dealt him a deadly blow, and returned to the stable and hid
himself. While the slaughter was being committed the woman had gone into
the house to take leave of the inmates, but when she came out she saw
what had occurred, and ran in crying and frightened to such a degree
that she was nearly fainting, and told the news. Farmer Uni ran out, and
said that the man had probably been an assassin. He despatched a man to
tell Jón the news, and urged his men with great eagerness to search for
the murderer; therefore no one suspected him. Hallvard remained in the
stable until the search had slackened. Then he went, with Uni’s advice,
to Orm and his sons at Studla, and they sent men with him to the east.
Kol and Sölmund received him well, and were then well satisfied with
their case. After a while the truth came out, and Jón was very much
grieved. Thus that year passed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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